Eagles Sign Zach Pascal
The Eagles are set to add to their wide receiver room. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Philadelphia is signing Zach Pascal to a one-year contract (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move. The one-year pact is worth $1.5MM, with all of it guaranteed, per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (on Twitter).
Pascal, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Colts, after joining them as a UDFA in 2018. He started 44 of 64 games in Indianapolis, playing at least three-quarters of the team’s snaps in all but his rookie campaign. His most productive season came in 2020, where he posted 44 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns.
The deal represents a reunion for Pascal with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. The latter’s time as the offensive coordinator of the Colts overlapped with the first three seasons of Pascal’s career. The Old Dominion alum will be joining a new team, resuming work with a familiar face.
In Philadelphia, Pascal joins a WR corps headed by 2021 first rounder DeVonta Smith. While the former Heisman winner had a productive rookie season, the Eagles have long been thought to be in need of additions to their pass-catching corps. At six-foo-two, 214 pounds, Pascal also represents a bigger target than Smith and underwhelming 2020 first-rounder Jalen Reagor.
With Pascal in the fold, the Eagles have added a proven complimentary piece to their WR room. Given the length of the deal, along with Pascal’s history as a secondary option, though, the team could still be active in adding another wideout. The free agent market has mostly dried up, but the team has three first round picks at their disposal for this April’s draft, where many feel they will add at the position.
Bengals Release CB Trae Waynes
MARCH 21: The Bengals waited a while, but they have made the Waynes move. This cut will add more than $10MM to Cincinnati’s cap space. Waynes did not play any defensive snaps during the team’s four playoff games, wrapping a disappointing run for the ex-Vikings first-rounder in Cincinnati.
This transaction stands to bump the AFC champions’ cap space north of $23MM. The Bengals brought back Eli Apple, keeping their top three corners from 2021 — Apple, Awuzie and Hilton — together. Unfortunately, Waynes could not avoid more injury trouble, which ended up defining his Bengals tenure.
FEB. 27: This is hardly a surprise, but the Bengals are expected to cut cornerback Trae Waynes, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic (subscription required). Waynes signed a three-year, $42MM contract with Cincinnati in March 2020, and in Morrison’s estimation, he is the biggest free agency bust in club history.
It would be difficult to quibble with that assessment. Waynes missed the entire 2020 season with a pectoral injury, and he ultimately played in just five regular season games in 2021 due to a hamstring ailment. Although he appeared in all four of the Bengals’ postseason contests, he saw just 13 total snaps, and all of them came on special teams.
The reigning AFC champs are in a pretty good place in terms of the salary cap. As Morrison writes in a separate piece (subscription required), Cincinnati should have upwards of $70MM in cap space this offseason, including the $10.9MM the club will realize from the Waynes release. Of course, a good chunk of that money is likely to be invested in an offensive line that yielded a whopping 70 sacks throughout the regular season and playoffs.
But some of it will need to be reinvested into the secondary as well. In addition to a franchise tag or extension for safety Jessie Bates, the Bengals will need to sign a No. 2 corner. Indeed, other than Waynes, Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton, no cornerback who played a snap in 2021 is under contract for 2022.
For his part, Waynes will likely need to settle for a veteran minimum deal somewhere. His contract with the Bengals was inflated due to the premium that teams often have to pay for cornerbacks in free agency, as his 3+ years as a starter with the Vikings were solid enough, but never spectacular. Couple that with his recent injury history, and it stands to reason that he will be looking for a prove-it contract in 2022.
Falcons, QB Marcus Mariota Agree To Deal
Not long after Marcus Mariota-to-Atlanta smoke emerged, the former No. 2 overall pick has agreed to reunite with Arthur Smith. Mariota agreed to a two-year Falcons deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the two-year pact is worth $18.75MM. The Falcons have already announced the deal.
The Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Colts earlier Monday, giving them a quarterback need for the first time since 2008. Mariota is certainly not a lock to be a long-term starter in Atlanta, but the former Tennessee draftee has experience with Smith and looks set to be Ryan’s immediate successor.
Smith was with the Titans throughout Mariota’s five-year Nashville tenure, but he coached the team’s tight ends for the bulk of Mariota’s run. During Smith’s first offensive coordinator season, he benched Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. The Titans then let Mariota join the Raiders in free agency in 2020. The former Heisman Trophy winner did not supplant Derek Carr in Las Vegas, but he has a clear path to being Atlanta’s starter next season.
A broken leg sustained on Christmas Eve 2016 altered Mariota’s Titans trajectory. The ex-Oregon phenom was coming off a season in which he threw 26 touchdown passes compared to just nine interceptions, while adding 349 rushing yards and two TDs. He did not reach 26 TD passes combined from 2017-18, as the Titans shifted to a more run-oriented attack. Mariota did guide Tennessee to the 2017 playoffs, where they upset the Chiefs after erasing a three-score deficit, but injuries in 2018 provided more hurdles. Elbow trouble led to Mariota missing time in 2018, and he was ineffective for the 2019 Titans, who surged to the playoffs behind Tannehill.
Mariota, 28, did not make any starts with the Raiders but did provide off-the-bench production as an injury replacement or a gadget running option behind Carr. Smith’s former pupil will give the Falcons a dual-threat option they did not have with Ryan. Of course, it remains to be seen how much Smith can coax from Mariota through the air.
Giants Sign Matt Breida
The Giants have added a veteran to their running back room. The team announced the signing of Matt Breida on Monday. 
[RELATED: Giants Cut RB Booker]
Breida, 27, started his career with the 49ers as a UDFA. He spent three seasons there, with his best campaign coming in 2018. He totalled 814 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 261 yards and two more scores in the passing game.
San Francisco then traded him to the Dolphins as part of a draft-day deal. In his lone season in Miami, he started only one of 12 games played, recording 350 scrimmage yards. He then signed with the Bills one year ago, though again he was simply a depth piece. He played only 81 snaps, meaning it doesn’t come as a surprise he is on the move for the third consecutive offseason. Given the presence of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll in New York, though, Breida will be a familiar face for his new employers.
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Giants’ RB room at the moment. The most important storyline with regards to the position – if not the team as a whole – is the future of Saquon Barkley. While a trade of the former No. 2 overall pick isn’t imminent, it is still a possibility. Regardless of whether or not Barkley stays in the Big Apple, there should be playing time available for Breida given the recent release of fellow veteran Devontae Booker. The speedster will look to improve a Giants offense which averaged less than 100 yards per game on the ground in 2022.
Jaguars Re-Sign WR Laquon Treadwell
One of the few positive developments to come out of the Jaguars’ 2021 season: a career-high receiving total from Laquon Treadwell. While the former first-round pick has never lived up to that billing, he is now signed to play a seventh NFL season.
Treadwell will return to the Jaguars on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He will be part of a new-look wideout group, with the Jags having signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The Jags have announced the Treadwell signing.
The 6-foot-2 possession receiver caught 33 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown in his first Jacksonville campaign. A former Vikings first-rounder, Treadwell had bounced on and off rosters since Minnesota cut him in 2019. Treadwell, 26, caught just 15 passes from 2019-20 but will have another opportunity to be a role player with the Jaguars.
Jacksonville will transition to Doug Pederson‘s offense and do so with mostly new pass catchers. Kirk is set to slide in as Trevor Lawrence‘s new WR1, while Jones and Evan Engram will play key roles as well. The team still has Marvin Jones under contract, and Laviska Shenault also remains on the team. D.J. Chark defected to the Lions in free agency. The Jags may not be done at the receiver position, with the draft looming as an obvious augmentation opportunity for the rebuilding team. But they have done extensive work on the position in free agency.
Saints, Jameis Winston Finalizing Deal
Quarterback dominoes are falling Monday. After missing out on Deshaun Watson, the Saints are moving back to a familiar face. Jameis Winston is close to an agreement to return to New Orleans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Despite his midseason ACL tear, Winston will do well for himself. The Saints are giving the former No. 1 overall pick a two-year deal worth $28MM, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com add (via Twitter). That is the base value, with $21MM set to be guaranteed. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the deal includes $15.2MM in guaranteed money.
The Saints had discussed a deal with Winston before becoming full-fledged finalists for Watson. Winston remained on the team’s radar as a fallback option, though the ex-Buccaneers starter said he talked with the Colts as well. Indianapolis has since traded for Matt Ryan, filling its latest QB1 vacancy. This stands to be Winston’s third deal with the Saints, who re-signed him to a one-year, $5.5MM pact in 2021.
Although Michael Thomas‘ season-long absence reduced the Saints’ receiving corps to arguably the NFL’s worst, Winston still was at 14 touchdown passes and three interceptions when he went down in New Orleans’ seventh game. The Saints were 5-2 in Winston’s starts but 4-6 without him. The team is also expected to abandon its multiyear Taysom Hill-at-quarterback experiment, clearing the runway for Winston to avoid a competition with the high-profile gadget player.
Winston, 28, came to New Orleans as Drew Brees‘ backup in 2020, replacing Teddy Bridgewater in that role. The former high-variance Bucs starter will face an interesting transition this year, with Sean Payton having retired. The team is retaining longtime OC Pete Carmichael, who is in line to call plays post-Payton. The Saints will not be devoting much money to their starting quarterback, but missing out on Watson still leaves the team without a true long-term signal-caller option. Winston will try to fill that void.
Giants Sign Jihad Ward
Free agent pass rusher Jihad Ward has found his new home in the NFL. The Giants announced that they have signed the veteran. 
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign LB Carter]
Ward, 27, was a second round pick of the Raiders in 2016. Despite starting 14 of 21 games, however, he was only there for two years, next spending nine games as a Colt split between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The second team he was on that year – the Ravens – is where he first played under Don Martindale. During 21 games in Baltimore, Ward registered four sacks (the most he’s had with any one team), along with two fumble recoveries. His play earned him a deal with the Jaguars, although he only started one of 17 contests in Jacksonville.
By signing with the Giants, Ward will reunite with Martindale, who became the team’s new defensive coordinator earlier this offseason. He will also likely have at least a rotational role available to him, as Lorenzo Carter signed with the Falcons earlier today.
Alongside Ward, New York currently has a pass-rushing corps which includes recent draftees Oshane Ximines, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith and Quincy Roche. While he will add a veteran presence to the position group, the Giants are widely expected to target more help in that department using one of their two top-ten picks in April’s draft.
Colts, Falcons Complete Matt Ryan Trade
The Matt Ryan talks have produced an agreement. The Falcons are sending their 14-year starting quarterback to the Colts in exchange for a third-round pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
It is a 2022 third-rounder, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter). Rather than send the Falcons the Commanders’ third-round pick, the Colts included their own Round 3 choice (No. 82 in the upcoming draft) in this swap, ESPN’s Field Yates clarifies (on Twitter). This trade will arm the Colts with yet another quarterback solution, with the deal coming not long after Indianapolis shipped its latest one-and-done starter — Carson Wentz — to Washington.
While word of a Ryan-to-Indianapolis deal leaked Monday, Pelissero adds the sides had been discussing it since before Deshaun Watson was dealt to Cleveland (Twitter link). The Falcons met with Watson and were prepared to trade for him, but Schefter notes (on Twitter) Ryan did not ask for a new contract after Atlanta came up short in that pursuit. That could be in the works with the Colts, but Ryan is still tied to the five-year, $150MM deal he signed in 2018. That extension runs through 2023.
Ryan, 36, will follow Watson, Wentz and Russell Wilson in being traded over the past two weeks. The quarterback market led to a major domino in Watson, who chose the Browns after they made an unprecedented extension offer. The fallout from that transaction will also give the Falcons and Colts new starting quarterbacks, with Baker Mayfield set to move soon as well.
The Falcons will take on an NFL-record $40.5MM in dead money by trading Ryan now, but they are sending the former MVP to the Colts before paying him a $7.5MM roster bonus. Atlanta delayed Ryan’s bonus to 3pm CT today, and Indianapolis is now responsible for it. The Colts, however, cleared more than $20MM in salary by trading Wentz. Despite Ryan entering March with what would have been a record-setting $48.7MM salary cap hit, he is tied to only this bonus and a $17.2MM base salary for the 2022 season.
Since 2017, the Colts have used five different Week 1 starting quarterbacks — Scott Tolzien, Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and Wentz. Ryan will join this succession and strip Indianapolis of another draft asset. But the Wentz drama left the Colts with a glaring QB need. Mayfield wanted to fill it, but Ryan — despite being nearly 10 years older than the disgruntled Browns QB — will have that opportunity. The Colts sent seven players to the Pro Bowl last year but failed to make the playoffs, combusting with ugly losses to the Raiders and Jaguars to close the season. They will count on Ryan to avoid such a fate next season.
Indianapolis lost its 2022 first-rounder by trading for Wentz but picked up two additional thirds — one of which could be upgraded to a second depending on Wentz’s Washington playing time. That gave the team some flexibility regarding its next QB move. The Colts will still have second- and third-rounders in the 2022 draft.
Ryan arrived in Atlanta as the 2008 No. 3 overall pick — Thomas Dimitroff‘s first draft choice as Falcons GM — and quickly filled the hole Michael Vick‘s prison sentence created. Ryan took the Falcons to six playoff berths, with his Georgia run peaking with a 2016 MVP campaign and a slot in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons’ historic collapse that night keyed a downhill slide. Although Atlanta made the playoffs the following year, the team has produced four consecutive losing seasons since. Ryan seemed out of place on the current Falcons, who are launching a rebuild behind new GM Terry Fontenot. HC Arthur Smith said shortly after the 2021 season’s conclusion he wanted Ryan back, but the team is going in a different direction.
Ryan has not made a Pro Bowl since that MVP season, and he ranked 21st in QBR last season — 12 spots behind Wentz. The Boston College alum, of course, is far more accomplished than the previous Colts passer; he ranked 14th and 16th in QBR in 2019 and ’20, respectively. The Colts have work to do at wide receiver, but they still feature one of the NFL’s better offensive lines and just added Yannick Ngakoue to a solid defense.
Bills, RB Duke Johnson Agree To Deal
The Bills could not pry J.D. McKissic from Washington, though the sides were believed to have an agreement. Buffalo will instead pivot to an AFC veteran back.
Duke Johnson is signing a one-year deal with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran pass-catching back will come over from the Dolphins, who have added multiple starter-caliber backs since free agency opened.
Formerly with the Browns and Texans, Johnson spent much of the 2021 season off the radar. But he resurfaced with the Dolphins down the stretch. Johnson ripped off two 100-yard rushing performances with Miami, helping the team to wins over the Jets and Patriots. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry with the Dolphins, who added him via a practice squad agreement during the season. With Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds now on the Mike McDaniel-led team, Johnson will head north.
Buffalo still rosters Devin Singletary and Zack Moss on their respective rookie contracts, but the team was clearly eyeing backs with aerial skillsets this offseason. Brandon Beane expressed frustration McKissic’s agreement fell through. McKissic is still with Washington. In the 28-year-old Johnson, the Bills have a player who has topped 400 receiving yards in five of his six seasons. With the Browns, Johnson exceeded 500 receiving yards three times.
Falcons To Sign OLB Lorenzo Carter
Lorenzo Carter posted a lengthy goodbye message to the Giants on Sunday. Less than 24 hours later, the former Day 2 pick has chosen his second NFL employer.
The Falcons are expected to sign him to a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After bouncing back from a 2020 Achilles tear last season, Carter hit the market last week. This will be a homecoming for the ex-Georgia Bulldog, who is an Atlanta native.
The Giants, despite their recent regime change, had Carter on their radar. The rebuilding NFC East squad attempted to re-sign him this weekend, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com adds (via Twitter), but it appears the sides were not on the same page.
The former third-round pick joins a Falcons team that is retooling on the edge. The Falcons just shed their Dante Fowler contract, though they received little from their non-Fowler sect of edge rushers last season. The team’s 18 sacks ranked last in the NFL, by 11, last season. Fowler is now with the Cowboys, reuniting with Dan Quinn.
Carter’s one-year Atlanta agreement will give him a chance at a better 2023 free agency payday while also providing the Falcons exclusive negotiating rights until that point, should Carter prove effective. He finished with a career-high five sacks last season and has 14.5 in his career.
Big Blue is still putting its edge pieces together as well. Azeez Ojulari had a nice rookie season, and 2019 third-round pick Oshane Ximines remains on the roster. But the Giants should be a candidate to select an outside rusher with one of their two top-10 picks.